PR Misc – November 17, 2004

Of course this is nothing new. Microsoft has employed armies of evangelists as long as they have been building software. What’s new is that those traditional evangelists are now supplemented online and potentially reaching more people in less time.

“Note blogging is not a replacement or substitute for mass media, it supplements and enhances the media environment by offering an alternative for people who want more on a particular subject or viewpoint than what’s currently available on TV and in newspapers.”

I think that’s a fantastic summary of where blogs fit in the media landscape.

Meanwhile Jeremy Pepper unearthed this feature on Jonathan Cheban the NY celebrity publicist. If ever there was an article that highlighted the antithesis of my daily PR life this is it. I’m sure for many people this lifestyle-profession is a dream come through – for me it’s the worst nightmare….

“Independent bloggers who identify their employers on their weblogs had better know what the consequences will be at work. For example, in many industries, employees may not know that there are regulatory issues that mean certain things can’t be spoken about casually. Of course, this isn’t a new problem that has just arisen with the dawn of blogging; many companies forbid employees to speak with journalists or the media about the company unless they have had media training or public relations folks are present. There’s a reason for that, and it’s important for every business to extend its policies to include guidelines on what can and can’t be said in personal weblogs.”